Had the Portland Trail Blazers lost their game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, they would have faced the Utah Jazz as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Down 28 points, it was presumed that Portland would throw in the towel and rest their guys for the start of the postseason. This was not the case. The Trail Blazers outscored the Kings by 30 in the second half, wrapping up the third seed in the West instead of securing a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder… who swept them during the regular season.

Despite Portland's lack of success against the Thunder in the regular season, however, they have been itching to get another crack at them, as detailed by Jason Quick of The Athletic:

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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At first blush, the Blazers’ first-round matchup with Oklahoma City could be viewed as a disaster. This season, the Thunder swept the Blazers in four games. Paul George averaged 40.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Russell Westbrook recorded two triple doubles and averaged 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists.

But in reality, the Blazers wanted this matchup. In fact, some Blazers made it clear after the last meeting — a March 7 win by Oklahoma City in Portland — that they wanted this chance.

“I would love that,” Lillard said after that loss, his answer spit out practically before the question was finished about a potential playoff series.

Moments before, center Jusuf Nurkic went even further, saying a Thunder-Blazers playoff series would make him “the happiest man on Earth.”

Of course, some things have changed since that March night.

About two weeks later, Nurkic broke his left leg on March 25, ending his season. He was having his best season ever, a beautiful display of power, grace and smarts. His pick-and-roll with Lillard was unstoppable, as both executed the nuances as if they were second nature. And his defense was game-changing.

Nurkic also had a penchant for getting under the skin of opponents, particularly the Thunder. After a particularly heated game in January in Oklahoma City, Nurkic pushed Russell Westbrook on the court, then was needled by Westbrook in a postgame interview, which he mumbled that Nurkic was a “clown.” Nurkic shot back on social media, referring to him as “Westbrick.” The next meeting, both were given technicals for a trip (by Nurkic) and a lowered-shoulder shove (by Westbrook).

A budding rivalry between the two teams should make for an intriguing series, which begins on Sunday in Portland.